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Hey all, Bill Sylvester has tipped us off to a good opportunity to support Oats & Notes-style live music in the Tofield area. At the Tofield hotel on Fri. Nov. 7th, members of BB and the Backsliders (Bill Sylvester on drums, Bob Walker on bass and Dan McDonald on sax) will be joining Rob Maginnis and Chris Dunn on guitar and vocals. Together they’re known as Slideback, and it should make for a solid dance party.

For many, Wild Oats & Notes is a self-contained, camping sorta weekend, but if you don’t bring a cooler full of food, you shouldn’t go hungry. We’re pleased to have the Paradise Grill food truck on board this year, serving up all manner of Jamaican delights ( www.paradisegrill.ca ), and Jo’s Kettle Corn will be helping fill gaps snack-wise. And of course, The General Store Cafe will be back, offering up a number of quick, hot & tasty items, as well as a full breakfast on both Saturday and Sunday mornings (8:00 AM till noon).

Also on Saturday morning (10:00 to 11:15 AM), Martha Affleck will be offering a free, gentle yoga class for all levels (excluding children — it’s an insurance thing). Martha has been attending Oats and Notes for the past decade, is a certified instructor, and is looking forward to sharing Yoga Basics. (You haven’t lived till you’ve slapped a mosquito in mid Downward Dog).

Everyone camping at this year’s festival will receive a copy of the “House Rules,” but it’s good to familiarize yourself with the policies in advance so there are no surprises or excuses. Advance camping times can be found on the Schedule page — be sure to bring your ticket or PayPal receipt. And with that, we give you….

Nine Secrets to Happy Camping

You are entering the century old homestead of the Schultz family — please treat it with the respect it deserves. Feel free to explore the entire property except the main house, which is for family only.

Be a good neighbour to all who choose to call this place home for the weekend.

Festival wristbands must be worn at all times.

To lessen congestion we’re asking trailers to be unhitched and towing vehicles be parked in the parking lot west of the house. Tenters will be allowed one vehicle per site, and parking passes must be in a visible location in the vehicle. (Tenters: your in & out privileges are arrival and departure. Come prepared!)

Guitar picking (acoustic) at your campsite is cool, but there will be ZERO tolerance of loud canned music at campsites. It’s disrespectful to onstage performers and to fellow campers. Complaints regarding noise and/or behaviour will be treated on a two strike basis – 1st strike is a warning, 2nd strike results in being escorted from the grounds by security, or if necessary, the RCMP.

Please take your camp area’s garbage with you when you leave.

Please be a considerate smoker and step to the fringes of the yard, where you can check out a wide array of butts.

If you’re not keen on buying festival passes online, you can now pick them up in person at Earth’s General Store, 9605 82nd Ave. in Edmonton. Or in Tofield at Ravenhill Agencies, 5109 – 50th Street (just south of ATB).

A number of thoughtful folks have been contacting us with offers to volunteer for this year’s event. If you have the time and inclination to help out before, during, or after the festival, please contact our new volunteer coordinator Jeanne Kallal at jaapjekallal1@hotmail.com

Volunteers receive a swanky t-shirt, food & drinks at the volunteer party (Sunday, June 29th — more details to come), and early bird access to camping spots. In past years we’ve been particularly short of help for site prep and post-festival clean-up (it takes a few days to get Brian’s yard back in order and to return donated goods.)

The Little Festival That Could

Wild Oats and Notes returns every two years to the Schultz farmstead in the Ketchamoot district, just south of Tofield, Alberta. Close to a thousand friends and relatives descend upon the yard in celebration of live music, agriculture, and all things rural. 2014 marks the ninth edition of the festival, a non-profit venture that invests net proceeds into the local community in a number of ways.

Wild Oats and Notes cultivates a taste for live performances while embracing the values of rural living and respect for the land. It’s also a hell of a lot of fun.